Pattern mechanism.



No. 642,403. Patented-Jan. 30, I900.

F. B. WILDMAN.

PATTERN MECHANISM.

(Application filed Aug. 1, 1899.)

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No. 642,403. Patented Ian. 30, I900. F. B. WILDMAN.

PATTERN MECHANISM.

(Application filed Aug. 1, 1899.)

(No Model.) .2 Shaots8heet 2.

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FRANK B. \YILDMAN, OF N ORRISTOWN PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MOMICHAEL & VVILDMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

PATTERN MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,403, dated January 30, 1900.

Application filed August 1, 1899. Serial No. 725.801. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK B. WILDMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norristown,Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pattern Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pattern mechanism for knitting-machines or the like; and its object is to insure accuracy in the length of fabric to be produced of any particular style of knitting irrespective of the number of courses of knitting in the said length, the result not being affected in any way by variations in gage of the yarn employed.

In carrying out my invention I combine the pattern mechanism with the take-up means so as to be driven thereby, and in this way when a certain amount of the fabric has been taken up by the take-u p rolls the pattern mechanism, being driven by said take-up rolls, will cause a change in the pattern, and then the knitting will go on until the desired length of this new pattern has been taken up or drawn from the needles, when the pattern mechanism will again act to change the pattern.

The general character of my pattern mechanism is the same as that disclosed in an application for Letters Patent of the United States filed by me on the 19th day of July, 1899.

My present improvement relates particularly to the feature of driving the pattern mechanism from the take-up mechanism in order to insure the production of accurate lengths of the different patterns.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a knitting-machine with my pattern mechanism in place, the machine being shown with some of the parts in section and some omitted. Fig. 2 is a face view of a modified form of the pattern mechanism in place on the take-up plate, parts being in section. Fig. 3 is a view similar to the lower part of Fig. 1, showing the modified form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 2.

In the drawings the needle cylinder is shown at 1 arranged to be rotatedthrough the gear 3 from any suitable driving-gear. This cylinder is connected with the take-up plate 6 by the brackets-8, so that the cylinder and take-up plate rotate in unison. In these brackets or arms the take-up rolls 9 are journaled, these being geared together at 4, Fig. 3, to rotate in unison. The rolls are driven through mechanism such as illus trated in Letters Patent of the United States No. 535,392, granted to me March 12,1895. By this mechanism the rolls automatically com pensate for differences orinequalities in thickness of the yarn employed or for differences in the stitches being formed to produce the pattern. These rolls therefore, while driven from the rotary parts of the machine, have an action independent of the number of rev0lutions and rounds of knitting, there being no fixed relation between the rotations of the rolls and the rotation of the machine. There is, however, a fixed relation between the ro tation of the rolls andthe length of fabric taken up thereby, and by driving the pattern mechanism by the take-up rolls accuracy in the length of fabric of any desired style of knitting is insured.

In the preferred arrangement (shown in Fig. 1) the pattern-wheel 11 is carried by the takeup ring or plate, said ring being formed in sections 10 12, the latter having beveled gearteeth 10' on its inner edge, meshing with a beveled gear 5 on the shaft 7, which is journaled in a bearing 2, fixed to the take-up ring. The inner end of this shaft has a worm-wheel a thereon, which meshes with the worm b on the shaft 0. This shaft carries a gear-wheel cl on its end, which meshes with the gear at the end of the take-u p roll. The take-up rolls have their bearings in the brackets or arms 8, which are attached to the needle-cylinder of the machine to rotate therewith and to the take-up plate to make it rotate with the cylinder. By this worm-gearing a slow motion is imparted from the take-up rolls to the pattern mechanism, and the said pattern mechanism will thus move at a fixed rate in relation to the length of fabric being drawn off from the needles irrespective of the number of courses in the fabric.

The pattern-wheel is moved by the frictional contact between it and the section 10 of the take-up plate, a spring or springs 14 being employed between the section 10 and the pattern-wheel, which presses the patternwheel against the clips 13, carried by the section 10. The pattern-wheel carries ratchetteeth 39, guards 40, and pattern-pins 18, here inafter referred to.

The slow motion of the pattern-wheel brings the pattern-pins in proper order into position to act 011 the lever 20, which actuates the 0011- nections leading to the needle controlling cams, which are adapted to be adjusted through this means to change the pattern. When the pattern'pin has thus arrived in position for action, the pattern-wheel is given a quick forcible movement by a pawl 35, arranged to engage the ratchet-teeth on the pattern-wheel, excepting those protected by the guards.

The pawl for operating the pattern-wheel is carried by a spring-pressed lever 36, arranged to be operated at each revolution of the machine by a pin or pins 38, secured to the fixed base-ring 5 of the machine. This pawl will give the ratchet-wheel a quick movement when it engages the ratchet-tooth, and the pattern-wheel will then slide on the section 10 of the take-up plate, and this will carry the pattern-pin under the end of the lever 20, thus operating the rod 23 and shifting the roller 25, which is attached to the rod. This roller is shifted by this action out of the path of the lever 28 and into the path of the lever 28, so that the lever 28 will be operated by the roller and the pattern will be changed. One of these levers is connected directly with the shaft 29, which is connected to the means for controlling the action of the needles. The shaft has a gear 30 thereon, meshing with a gear 32, connected with the arm 28', and by this arrangement one arm when struck by the roller will rotate the shaft 29 in one direction and the other arm when struck will cause the shaft, through the gearing, to be rotated in the opposite direction. It will now be seen that the worm-gearing will give to the pattern wheel a slow motion from the take-up rolls, which will bring the pattern-pin into proper position to act on the lever 20 and the connections leading therefrom to the parts to be controlled, and when the pin has arrived at this position the ratchet-lever carried by the take-up plate by striking the stationary pin 38 on the fixed base-ring will cause the pawl to engage the ratchet-tooth of the patternwheel and give the same a quick movement, the frictional contact between the patternwheel and take-upplate section 10 being adapted to allow this quick additional movement of the pattern-wheel on the section 10.

The guard-plates are of course removed from those ratchet-teeth with which the pawl is to act, and the arrangement is such that when a pattern-pin arrives at the lever 20 a free tooth will have arrived at the pawl, so that the pawl will act to turn the patternwheel and change the pattern as soon as its lever strikes the pin 38. i

The arrangement of the pattern-wheel, the means for giving it its quick movement, and the connections controlled thereby are substantially the same as those disclosed in my application for Letters Patent of the United States before mentioned; but in the present case the means for giving the slow movement to the pattern-wheel are different in that the motion is derived from the take-up rolls in order that the length of fabric produced of any particular style of knitting will be only that determined upon or intended to be produced.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, showing a modification of my invention, the same wormgear is used to impart the motion from the take-up rolls, and the pattern mechanism is carried by the take-up plate to travel around with it. In this form the worm-wheel ct is fixed to a sleeve (1, which has also fixed thereto a friction-disk 10 The sleeve, with the friction-disk and worm-wheel, turns loosely on the shaft e, which is journaled in bearings in a standard f, secured to the take-up ring. The shaft has fixed thereon a friction-disk 10", and a spring 9, bearing against a head It on the shaft and on the face of the wormwheel, holds the disks in frictional contact hard enough to drive the shaft 6. This shaft carries fixed thereon the pattern-wheel 11, which has concentric rows of holes adapted to receive pattern-pins 18, which may be screwed in the desired holes. pins control a lever 20, pivoted tothe standard f and having a depending stud 20" to engage the pattern-pins, said stud being beveled at 21. The lever engages a pin or red 23, passing through a bearing on the standard f, said pin having the roller 25 thereon adapted to engage either one of the arms 28 28', which, as before described, through the shaft 29 connect with any well-known arrangement for controlling the action of the needles, and thus change the pattern.

By the mechanism described thus far the pattern-wheel receives its slow movement, which brings the pattern studs or pins, as before described, around into position to act on the lever 20. hen this has been accomplished, the pattern-wheel is given its sudden movement to forcibly carry the pattern-pin into engagement with the stud 20", and thus raise the lever, with the effect of changing the position of the roller 25' and altering the pattern. In order to give this quick movement, I form, as before described, the pattern-wheel with ratchet-teeth 39 and use a rying a roller in the path of a cam 38', fixed The patternon the stationary base-ring 5 of the machine. It will now be seen that when the slow motion of the pattern-wheel driven through the worm-gearing and friction-disks has brought the pattern-pin in position adjacent to the stud on the lever 20 the continued rotation of the take-up plate carrying the pattern mechanism will cause the roller on the leverarm 36 to ride up the incline of the cam 38', and thus the pawl will engage the ratchetteeth and move the pattern-wheel forcibly, causing the pattern-pin to operate the lever 20', the roller and the pattern-changing mechanism. As before described, this pawl is not allowed to engage every tooth of the pattern-wheel, and for preventing such ongagement I employ the guard-plates 40, screwed to the pattern-wheel and projecting over the ratchet-teeth. An extension-guard 40 is secured to the pattern-Wheel by a screw passing through the slot is, and by this the guard may be adjusted to get a guard-bearing for the pawl which will be an extension of the main guard of any desired amount.

During the quick action of the patternwheel by the pawl the friction-disk 10" moves on the other disk 10 the frictional contact being only strong enough to impart the slow motion of the worm-gearing to the pattern mechanism.

In both forms of the invention the slow n10- tion is imparted to the pattern-Wheel by frictional connections, while the quick motion is imparted by a pawl and ratchet. In both forms of the invention, also, the take-up rolls besides rotating on their own axes travel with the cylinder or rotate around the vertical axis of the machine or move concentric thereto.

In Figs. 2 and 3 I show a plurality of rows of holes for the pattern-pins, and instead of shifting the roller into two positions it may be made to occupy a larger number of positions for forming a greater variety of stitches in the fabric.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination, pattern means, take-up means and means for driving the same, said pattern means being driven from the take-up means, substantially as described.

2. In combination, pattern means, take-up means, means for driving the same and driving connections between the pattern means and take-u p means, substantially as described.

3. In combination, pattern means,a take-u p roll and means for driving the same, said pattern means being driven from the take-up roll, substantially as described.

4:. In combination, pattern means, a takeup roll and means for driving the same, driving connections between the pattern means and roll, substantially as described.

5. In combination, pattern mechanism, a roller rotating with the passage of the fabric, worm-gearing, a friction driving connection between the Worm-gearin g and pattern means .and means for giving the pattern means a quick movement, substantially as described.

6. In combination in a circular-knitting machine a rotating take-up roll traveling with the cylinder and pattern means driven thereby, substantially as described.

7. In combination, take-up means having a take-up motion and traveling with the cylinder and pattern means driven from the take-up means, substantially as described.

8. In combination, take-up means having a take-up motion and traveling with the cylinder and pattern means traveling with the cylinder and being driven from the take-up means, substantially as described.

9. In combination, the take-up plate, the take-up rolls carried thereby, and the pattern means carried by the take-u p plate and driven from the take-up rolls, substantially as described.

10. In combination, the take-up rolls, the rotating take-up plate, the pattern mechanism carried on said plate and gearing between the take-up rolls and pattern mechanism, substantially as described.

11. In combination, the take-up rolls, the take-up plate, the pattern-wheel, the geared section or ring carried on the take-up plate and having frictional engagement with the pattern-wheel, gearing between the take-up rolls and said geared section, and means for giving the pattern-wheel a quick movement, substantially as described.

12. In combination, the take-up rolls, the take-upplate carrying the same and arranged concentric with the axis of the machine, the pattern mechanism also arranged concentric to the axis of the machine, and a driving connection between the take-up rolls and pattern mechanism, substantially as described.

13. In combination, pattern means, a takeup roller rotating with the passage of the fabric, a friction driving connection between the take-up roll and pattern means and devices for giving the pattern means a quick movement, substantially as described.

14:. In combination, take-up means, means for giving the same movement in a fixed rela tion to the length of fabric produced and pattern means driven from said take-up means, substantially as described.

15. In combination, take-up means having movement in a fixed relation to the length of fabric produced, pattern means driven from said take-up means and devices operating through the rotation of the machine for giving the pattern means an additional movement, substantially as described.

16. In combination, the take-up rolls, pattern mechanism arranged concentric with the axis of the machine, and a driving connection between the take-up rolls and the pattern mechanism, substantially as described.

17. In combination, take-up means having movement in a fixed relation to the length of ing the pattern means an additional quick 10 fabric produced, pattern means driven from movement, substantially as described.

said take-up means and devices for giving the In testimony whereof I affix my signature pattern means an additional movement, subin presence of two witnesses.

stantially as described.

18. In combination, take-up means having I RANK WILDMAN' a take-up motion and traveling with the oyl- Witnesses: inder, pattern means driven from the take-up WALTER S. HUTCHISON,

means with a slow motion and devices for giv- 1 FLORENCE E. SHAW. 

